Application Call for DRR Fellowship Grant 2025

Application Call for DRR Fellowship Grant 2025

DRR Fellowship Grant

Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Fellowship is a unique experiential platform designed for young professionals interested in building a career in climate change, governance, and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM). This initiative offers young, qualified, and enthusiastic individuals the opportunity to work closely with municipal governments, gaining hands-on experience in DRRM, Climate Change Adaptation (CCA), and Disaster Information Management Systems (DIMS).

Through the DRR Fellowship, participants will engage in policy-making for DRRM and climate resilience at the local level. They will also contribute to strengthening the technical capacity of provincial and municipal officials in utilizing the Building Information Platform Against Disaster (Bipad) Portal (bipadportal.gov.np). Additional activities include mapping critical infrastructures, transferring technical knowledge, and building capacity in DRRM and CCA for local government officials.

DRR Fellowship Grant further empowers young professionals to collaborate with local governments to bridge data gaps, transfer technical capacity, and support in strengthening disaster-related databases. In the face of increasingly frequent and severe climate events, DRRM has become a priority for all three tiers of government. However, there remains a significant gap in implementing and localizing existing plans and policies. The DRR Fellowship aims to bridge this gap by connecting technical expertise with local-level needs and addressing the data deficit to support informed decision-making.

Application Summary

Application must be completed online and consists of the following components:

1. Personal Information 
2. Motivation Letter (Max. 300 words)
3. CV/Resume (CV no longer than 2 pages)
4. One Reference letter (Academic Recommended)

While preparing for the application process, please ensure the following:

1. Motivation letter stating your interest and qualification for the Fellowship Grant
2. Your CV/Resume in pdf
3. Recommendation letter from your academic institution or workplace in pdf format

Project Municipalities

Fellowship Duration

Five months

Eligibility and Selection Criteria

To be eligible as Fellows, the individual must:

• Be 29 years old or younger Nepali citizen at the nomination
• Have a bachelor’s degree in Disaster Risk Reduction, Climate Change, Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, Geomatics Engineering, Development Studies, Natural Resources, Crisis Management, or related field
• Be local from the project municipalities or willing to relocate to the project municipality
• Have knowledge of or interest in disaster/Climate/DRRM/CCA and related discipline
• Have an interest in learning technology and open data
• Be curious to work with province and municipal personnel
• Have a strong knowledge of technology that includes mobile apps, web app, MS office package
• Have excellent communication skills in Nepali and English. A knowledge of the local language would be preferred
• Have passion to learn Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) through DRRM/CCA
• Have outstanding personal character and integrity
• Have teamwork and collaborative skills
• Have ability to work in a cross-cultural and multidisciplinary team
• Have ability, willingness, and possibility to raise awareness among the persons belonging to minorities or their respective communities

Key Responsibilities of the Fellows

Fellows will be responsible for:

• Supporting assigned municipality to strengthen the Climate Resilience and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan
• Conducting Vulnerability Capacity Assessment at assigned municipality together with the municipal government
• Supporting assigned province or municipal government to administer and operationalize level Bipad Portal
• Collaborating with the IT officer and DRR focal personnel for day-to-day capacity transfer
• Working closely with municipal personnel to compile DRR-related datasets and standardize and integrate them into Bipad Portal
• Working with municipal personnel to map and validate critical infrastructure datasets like education, health, finance, governance, tourism, industry, communication, and more
• Reporting and documenting the progress/challenges and sharing the lessons learned

Benefits for Climate Fellows

• Fellowship Grant of NPR 300,000.00* (Three Lakhs Nepalese Rupees)
• *Note: Inclusive of Monthly Stipend, Travel Allowance, Meeting Facilitation, Training Cost etc.)
• Five-day residential training on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM), Climate Change Adaptation (CCA), Vulnerability Capacity Assessment (VCA), and Disaster Information Management System (DIMS)
• Capacity building training and orientations
• Opportunity to work closely with the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, CAO, elected representatives, DRR and IT professionals, and Government officials at working stations
• Opportunity to participate in workshops/trainings/seminars organized by Nepal Government, and respective municipality
• Opportunity to broaden their understanding of social issues and enhance their ability to engage in meaningful dialogue with people from different backgrounds
• Graduation Certificate of the Fellowship
• Potential job placement within YI-Lab, partners, and related organizations

Online Application

Interested candidates for the Fellowship Grant should submit the application in the online form provided. The online form has two main sections:

• Personal Information – Provide personal information such as contact details and your educational and professional background and upload your picture (Passport size photo, no larger than 2 MB)
• Written section – Write about your motivation to apply for Fellowship and upload your CV/Resume and a recommendation letter

Guidelines for Reference

• The duration of the time and context in which they have known the applicant,
• Their opinion of the applicant’s background, qualifications, experiences, achievements and accomplishments
• Their opinion on the applicant’s leadership quality and capability
• The letter could be written in English or Nepali
• Ensure that the recommendation letter is received prior so that you have enough time to upload in the online application
• Draft the letter in the file format MS Word Document or PDF
• Sign their name, official position, and contact information

Applying Procedure

Please complete the online form to submit your application. If you have any inquiries, please contact the Fellowship Secretariat at fellowship@youthinnovationlab.org

We highly encourage all interested applicants, especially youth from project municipalities including those who identify as women and Indigenous community members/ minority caste groups to join Fellowship. 

Application link to the call - https://forms.office.com/r/X7Gu8K2CV4

Application Timeline

Application Opens- 17 December 2024

Application Deadline- (Midnight) 29 December 2024